What do you get when you put 20 kids — age 1 to 10 — in a room full of brand-new toys? Our curious and cute testers, all Minnesota kids, found...

Dec. 1, 2014

Best board games for families!

By Megan Devine

Megan Devine is an elementary school teacher who lives with her husband and four children in Northeastern Minnesota. She blogs at kidsandeggs.com.

Playing games is a fun way to unplug from our many electronic devices — and build a sense of connection as a family. Board games, stacking games and card games also provide educational opportunities for children to practice important social skills such as taking turns, self-control, communication and perseverance. Check out these quick, fun and award-winning games for busy families with young children.

4 First Games

This colorful and versatile Ravensburger collection includes four roll-and-move games for preschoolers. Tasty Bones, King of the Castle, The Bird’s Nest and Garden Party are ideal for introducing young children to board-game play, including taking turns, color matching, concept matching and strategic thinking.

This popular game requires dexterous movement, mental skill and luck! Players take turns removing a block from a tower of 54 wooden blocks and balancing it on top, creating a taller and increasingly unstable structure. Fun and excitement builds as the block tower gets higher. The game ends when the tower falls. If you’re looking for a twist on this modern classic, check out the many new versions such as Jenga Spider Man, Jenga Tetris (with angled pieces) and Jenga Space Invaders (black pieces featuring characters and commands). There’s also a supersize wood-block version known as Jenga Giant ($129) and 8-foot cardboard version called Jenga XXL ($279.99).

This fun, portable and addictive letter-tile game can include up to eight players. Players draw 11 to 21 tiles (depending on the number of players) and then race against each other to build crossword grids that use all of their letter tiles. Parents and kids can easily modify the game to include younger children, and it’s easy to break out at home or on the go. To make the game even more interesting, Bananagrams now has a Wild Tiles version with six tiles that can be used as any letter.

In this delightful version of a classic memory game, children match faces of 24 children from around the world. In the process, they can learn about different countries, cultures and traditions. It’s a well-made game that includes vivid illustrations that are captivating for young children.

Though recommended for ages 7 and older, this family-oriented card can be adapted for children as young as 4 years old and as many as 10 players. Players work to play all their cards by matching the number, type or color of cards in their hand. When a player has only one card left, he or she yells, “Uno!” Once a player gets rid of all of his or her cards, he or she is declared the winner of the round. Uno cards are available in a variety of themes including holiday, Disney princess, Spiderman, Thomas and Friends and more for added engagement of younger kids.